Go Deep

Halifax

Water Facts

  • Sea levels are rising more quickly on the East coast than any other coastal region of Canada
  • Halifax Harbour plays a significant cultural and economic role in Atlantic Canada
  • Over 60% of Nova Scotia’s total GDP was from fishing, hunting and trapping
  • The wastewater treatment system in Halifax is the largest municipal infrastructure project ever completed in Atlantic Canada

Water Challenges

01.

Sea-level rise

02.

Severe storms and storm surges

03.

Coastal erosion by storm inundation

04.

Reduced water quality and quantity

Spotlight

A must-read report on climate change in Halifax:

(1) HalifACT 2050. (2020). Sustainability Solutions Group

  • Provides specific actions, targets, objectives, and timelines for completion of efforts toward water-related goals, with aims to achieve these goals before 2050.

Halifax Situation Report

The Situation Report provides a state-of-the-moment overview and analysis of Halifax’s water conditions, challenges, and emerging issues.

Researcher Profile

  • Dr. Vincent Sieben

    Dalhousie University

    Dr. Sieben’s research group at Dalhousie University has been active for 3 years focusing on lab-on-chip sensors for marine environments. From this lab, Dartmouth Ocean Technologies (DOT) Inc. is commercializing the phosphate, nitrate, alkalinity, and fluorometer sensors, as well as a small form-factor eDNA sampler.

    Prof. Sieben received his doctorate from the University of Alberta in 2009. From 2009 to 2011, he conducted pioneering research on the first lab-on-a-chip nutrient and microbiology sensors for the deep ocean at the National Oceanography Center in Southampton, UK. For the next 7 years, Dr. Sieben worked with a talented team on the first commercialization of a lab-on-chip sensor in the oil and gas industry: Schlumberger’s Maze™ SARA analysis. He has actively published in the areas of microfabrication, lab-on-a-chip, optics, and in situ sensors for environmental monitoring, authoring 30 peer-reviewed journal publications, 41 conference publications, 13 granted patents, a book chapter and an ASTM standard.

Research Facilities

The Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE)

The Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) brings together people, ideas, and resources that propel Canada’s marine technology sector.

Authors

The content of this Go Deep page was written by:

Charmaine White

Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser Valley

Robert Newell

Royal Roads University & Food and Agriculture Institute, University of the Fraser Valley